‘Revenge cheating’ is the new it thing

Cheating on your partner is a pretty rubbish thing to do, no matter the reason.

But new research has revealed that a rising number of cheaters claim that they’re partaking in what is known as ‘revenge cheating’.

In simple terms, revenge cheating is the act of cheating on your partner to get back at them for having cheated on you – the unfaithful version of an eye for an eye.

Cheating to get revenge on an unfaithful partner is the new trend in infidelity. (Getty)

A recent survey conducted by affair website Illicit Encounters reported that 37 per cent of women surveyed, and 31 per cent of men, were using their affairs to get back at partners who had cheated on them first.

Women scoring higher may be due to the fact that men are more likely to cheat first, leading to a boost in the number of women seeking ‘revenge’.

More concerning is the fact that a whopping 81 per cent of revenge cheaters claimed that they felt justified in their actions because their partner had cheated first.

And what’s the point of revenge if your partner doesn’t know about it?

Over 54 per cent of the revenge cheaters reported that they told their partners about their affairs.

While the fact that the survey was conducted by a site that facilitates affairs has likely skewed the data, Christian Grant, a spokesman for Illicit Encounters, acknowledged it as a new trend. “There has been a big rise in the number of women revenge cheating in the last year.

“They are stuck in unhappy relationships which they cannot afford to leave because of house prices and economic uncertainty,” he told Metro UK.

Some women feel they can't leave a cheating partner for financial reasons, so choose to cheat as well. (Getty)

He makes a valid point – many women find it difficult to leave relationships when their finances are tied up with those of their partner, especially if it means having to find a new home.

“If you discover that your partner has been unfaithful this Christmas the best advice might well be to have an affair too,” he added.